Cars You Guys Are Into

[mountainaire]

Anyone have any experience with WK2 series Grand Cherokees 2011-22?

I'm not too impressed with Jeep's offerings, but after cursory research the 3.6 L Pentastar V6s seem to be at least somewhat reliable.

I'd go back to at least the WJ for the 4.0 and solid axle up front, but that's just me.

Personally I think the pinnacle for Jeep was the early to mid 90s era, right after Chrysler bought AMC and acquired the Jeep brand, and before the "Daimler-Chrysler" era began. The systems in those vehicles are simple and user friendly, easy to maintain and can be kept on the road for as long as you're willing to maintain them.

I love my early 90s XJ so much that I'm going to buy a YJ from the same era.

 

[mountainaire]

This is the kind of design that speaks to me. Clean, uncluttered, mechanical controls for everything, all of the essential gauges, no screens.

 

[Callixtus]

I'd go back to at least the WJ for the 4.0 and solid axle up front, but that's just me.

Personally I think the pinnacle for Jeep was the early to mid 90s era, right after Chrysler bought AMC and acquired the Jeep brand, and before the "Daimler-Chrysler" era began. The systems in those vehicles are simple and user friendly, easy to maintain and can be kept on the road for as long as you're willing to maintain them.

I love my early 90s XJ so much that I'm going to buy a YJ from the same era.

Agreed on the older models. The girlfriend's in the market for an SUV and she likes the look of the WK2s. I'm not too keen on the newer Jeeps, but I honestly don't know much about them. She's dead set on 2012 or newer.

 

[Gazeebo]

Acura made a MDX hybrid for a few years during the latter 2010s and from working on a few of them myself I would like to find one. Had one come by not too long ago with 250k miles on it. No mechanical issues nor battery failure yet. Of course Honda was ahead of the game with luxury hybrid SUVs so they didn't sell very well. If they would do it again today with the newest MDX body they would sell like hot cakes in my opinion.

 

[Callixtus]

Good tip on the MDX, I forgot all about Acura in this recent hunt for the right car for the GF. I've always been a fan of Honda products. Does the MDX suffer from the same cylinder deactivation system issues as other Hondas?

 

[Gazeebo]

Good tip on the MDX, I forgot all about Acura in this recent hunt for the right car for the GF. I've always been a fan of Honda products. Does the MDX suffer from the same cylinder deactivation system issues as other Hondas?

All J series engines since 2010 or 2012 have some type of Variable Control Management system (VCM). I believe it is one it's 4th iteration now. I know alot a flak has been thrown at Honda for this tech but it's honestly brilliant. Acura does not show it like a Honda does on instrument cluster. What I mean is there is no light to show it engaging.

There are work arounds for it, for example I've seen hook ups that fake the vehicle is overheating which completely disengaged VCM. But the flip side would be a check engine light for VCM malfunction and you could never actually know your vehicle is overheating. Which could warp your block and nobody wants that.

I would advise staying away from 3.2 Mdx due to piston ring issues where oil blowby is common. Also the RDX is a good vehicle as well. Their J series variants are awesome in my opinion but if you find the rare 4 cylinder turbo one from 2010s I would stay away. They are very cool SUVs but once the turbo leaks we'll it's at least 10k for the turbo alone. That does not include labor either which today is $190hr for my work.

And a other note, if you buy an MDX take it to Acura if you can and get all updates for the PGM-FI done for your car. I've saved many soccer moms in their MDXs or RDXs from failing emissions and having to buy a catilytic converter due low Cat performance from B2. Basically, the Catalytic converter throws a low threshold code because it's dumb and needs an update.

 

[Callixtus]

All J series engines since 2010 or 2012 have some type of Variable Control Management system (VCM). I believe it is one it's 4th iteration now. I know alot a flak has been thrown at Honda for this tech but it's honestly brilliant. Acura does not show it like a Honda does on instrument cluster. What I mean is there is no light to show it engaging.

There are work arounds for it, for example I've seen hook ups that fake the vehicle is overheating which completely disengaged VCM. But the flip side would be a check engine light for VCM malfunction and you could never actually know your vehicle is overheating. Which could warp your block and nobody wants that.

I would advise staying away from 3.2 Mdx due to piston ring issues where oil blowby is common. Also the RDX is a good vehicle as well. Their J series variants are awesome in my opinion but if you find the rare 4 cylinder turbo one from 2010s I would stay away. They are very cool SUVs but once the turbo leaks we'll it's at least 10k for the turbo alone. That does not include labor either which today is $190hr for my work.

And a other note, if you buy an MDX take it to Acura if you can and get all updates for the PGM-FI done for your car. I've saved many soccer moms in their MDXs or RDXs from failing emissions and having to buy a catilytic converter due low Cat performance from B2. Basically, the Catalytic converter throws a low threshold code because it's dumb and needs an update.

Good info! Thanks!

Is VCM actually rather reliable then? I've heard of the workaround. I read about it when I was shopping for Accords five years ago and ended up getting a 2012 with the K24 four cylinder which I'm very happy with. Reviews on forums seemed mixed regarding the VCM on the J series motors. VCM wasn't the deciding factor for me, but rather ease of maintenance and the fact that I didn't need that much power in my commuter car.

 

[Gazeebo]

Good info! Thanks!

Is VCM actually rather reliable then? I've heard of the workaround. I read about it when I was shopping for Accords five years ago and ended up getting a 2012 with the K24 four cylinder which I'm very happy with. Reviews on forums seemed mixed regarding the VCM on the J series motors. VCM wasn't the deciding factor for me, but rather ease of maintenance and the fact that I didn't need that much power in my commuter car.

Excellent choice on the Accord. The 2.4 is one of the best motors in existence.

VCM, from my experience as a Honda and Acura technician has been reliable. I believe you would have a better change of someone putting your car out of time than VCM failing in you vehicle.

 

[Uncle Cr33pin]

My midlife crisis is in full effect..... I am going to buy a C7 Corvette in either laguna blue or white with a MANUAL transmission like the good lord intended. Next time you see me I'll be sitting beside it in my fold out chair rocking some fresh New Balance shoes and denim shorts.

I like the wide rear end on the Z06 and Grand Sport however I do not want a Z06. When I was younger I would have never said this but 650hp in the Z06 is too much. I learned this when I went from my 600cc crotch rockets to a 1000cc crotch rocket. I could get in the high rpms and play around on my 600cc bikes but when I was nearing the higher rpms on my 1000cc bike I was hitting arrestable speeds and everything in front of me was quickly behind me. Back to the Corvette they don't make the Grand Sport in laguna blue and that's the color I am leaning towards.... even though my favorite color for cars is white, something about the blue vette is calling my name. So it looks like I will end up with a 2014-2016 MANUAL C7 Corvette.

I am open to the idea of a C6 Corvette and have a few I am keeping a eye on..... but the C7 has really captured my interest.
The rear of the C6 is iconic

 

[ed plrbs unm]

My midlife crisis is in full effect..... I am going to buy a C7 Corvette in either laguna blue or white with a MANUAL transmission like the good lord intended. Next time you see me I'll be sitting beside it in my fold out chair rocking some fresh New Balance shoes and denim shorts.

I like the wide rear end on the Z06 and Grand Sport however I do not want a Z06. When I was younger I would have never said this but 650hp in the Z06 is too much. I learned this when I went from my 600cc crotch rockets to a 1000cc crotch rocket. I could get in the high rpms and play around on my 600cc bikes but when I was nearing the higher rpms on my 1000cc bike I was hitting arrestable speeds and everything in front of me was quickly behind me. Back to the Corvette they don't make the Grand Sport in laguna blue and that's the color I am leaning towards.... even though my favorite color for cars is white, something about the blue vette is calling my name. So it looks like I will end up with a 2014-2016 MANUAL C7 Corvette.

I am open to the idea of a C6 Corvette and have a few I am keeping a eye on..... but the C7 has really captured my interest.
The rear of the C6 is iconic

Good for you, dude. That C7 is a good looking car.

 

[TruckDriver9]

My midlife crisis is in full effect..... I am going to buy a C7 Corvette in either laguna blue or white with a MANUAL transmission like the good lord intended. Next time you see me I'll be sitting beside it in my fold out chair rocking some fresh New Balance shoes and denim shorts.

 

[scary_robot_music]

Back to the Corvette they don't make the Grand Sport in laguna blue and that's the color I am leaning towards.... even though my favorite color for cars is white, something about the blue vette is calling my name. So it looks like I will end up with a 2014-2016 MANUAL C7 Corvett

Interesting. I'm a white car guy too, especially if it's got black and red accents like that white one in your pic does, but the blue one does somehow look much cooler.

 

[Blade Runner]

Did you all see how Dodge changed some of its ways on the claim it was going only EV? Apparently they are not going to d/c the Charger, Challenger or other muscle car models with ICE.

 

[BitterEnd]

A lot of manufacturers are backtracking on their "electric" goals. I think the industry will soon clash head first with the (((policymakers))) when they realize that the market will not go where they are asking it to go. It was never about electric cars, it was about seizing the means of transportation. : )

 

[mountainaire]

The new (cucked) Charger has been revealed and it's a disaster:

You have two options, a 6,000lb EV that is speed limited to 137mph and makes fake v8 noises or a high strung turbo 3.0l inline 6 that will blow up after a few years. No v8 option. Also, you can pay a subscription fee to "unlock" performance via Dodge "Direct Connection". No one, and I mean literally no one is excited about this. You can choose between a subpar EV that is slower than a Tesla, or a subpar gasoline engine that is worse than the previous gen performance v8 options. This is how govts and mega corporations kill cars.

The die hard Mopar folks are less than enthused:

 

[eradicator]

Oh do not buy a dodge ever unless you want to give your entire paycheck to a mechanic.

Unless it’s a pickup truck dodge is the worst

 

[mountainaire]

Oh do not buy a dodge ever unless you want to give your entire paycheck to a mechanic.

Unless it’s a pickup truck dodge is the worst

I'm sure that trend will continue with the only options being electric and an overworked small displacement engine pushing around a very heavy car. The sad thing though, is how the car is basically one giant compromise. The smog era cars from the 70s to early 90's suffered a similar fate, but they at least had the bones, the potential for enthusiasts to play around with. This one, not so much.

 

[Thomas More]

The new (cucked) Charger has been revealed and it's a disaster:

You have two options, a 6,000lb EV that is speed limited to 137mph and makes fake v8 noises or a high strung turbo 3.0l inline 6 that will blow up after a few years. No v8 option. Also, you can pay a subscription fee to "unlock" performance via Dodge "Direct Connection". No one, and I mean literally no one is excited about this. You can choose between a subpar EV that is slower than a Tesla, or a subpar gasoline engine that is worse than the previous gen performance v8 options. This is how govts and mega corporations kill cars.

The die hard Mopar folks are less than enthused:

Other than Tesla, it seems like every other manufacturer swears by the rule that electric cars have to be somewhere between funny looking and ugly. It's clear the Challenger team are true believers.

 

[Thomas More]

I'm sure that trend will continue with the only options being electric and an overworked small displacement engine pushing around a very heavy car. The sad thing though, is how the car is basically one giant compromise. The smog era cars from the 70s to early 90's suffered a similar fate, but they at least had the bones, the potential for enthusiasts to play around with. This one, not so much.

I think people will be hot rodding used Challengers, Chargers, and 300s for at least the next 50 years. No body needs to buy a new car when you can buy an existing car and customize it with infinite options.

 

[Tex Cruise]

Other than Tesla, it seems like every other manufacturer swears by the rule that electric cars have to be somewhere between funny looking and ugly. It's clear the Challenger team are true believers.

I don't think that's a particularly ugly car. Only the narrow grille looks a bit wrong. If they were to bring it down so the top of the grille was in line with the beltline of the car (the body swage line) then I think it would actually look pretty good, but I bet pedestrian protection regulations wouldn't allow it.